F1 World Championship 2009 Thread

[Neil]

It is great to have F1 back, Australia is always a mad race and Malaysia is only next weekend! :D

[team_NOOB]

I love how the new car design makes them look like they are driving Scorpions (N)

[gregb0b]

I love how the new car design makes them look like they are driving Scorpions (N)

I don't see the resemblance.

[san.W10]

Alonso: Diffuser call may decide title

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso says the FIA's decision on the design of the rear diffusers could go a long way in deciding this year's championship.

Ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, Ferrari, Red Bull and Renault lodged a protest against Toyota, Williams and Brawn GP over the design of their cars' diffuser.

Although the protest was rejected by the race stewards, the teams appealed the decision and it will be again judged by the FIA on 14th April.

The Brawn GP cars dominated Sunday's race, with Jenson Button leading team-mate Rubens Barrichello to a one-two. The Toyotas finished in third and fifth, while Williams driver Nico Rosberg was seventh.

Alonso, sixth in the race, reckons it will be very hard to catch the Brawn GP cars if the FIA decides its diffuser is legal.

"We'll have to see what they decide on the 14th," Alonso told Cadena Ser radio. If they are allowed to race with it they have a bit of an advantage and all teams will try to copy that idea.

"But it's difficult because you have to work on the whole car. It's not just adding the diffuser and suddenly the car is a second quicker.

"The diffuser makes you go fast if you have a new front end, new sidepods, a new engine cover. You have to rebuild the whole car and that would take a lot of months.

"We'll see what happens. It's a complicated issue and the championship could be more or less decided on the 14th. If the diffusers are legal, the Brawns are going to be nearly unreachable for any other team."

Alonso said Brawn GP was in a league of its own at the moment and admitted it will be hard to try to beat them in the upcoming races.

"They have proved they are on a different level. Right now they are unbeatable," he added. "They were first and second in qualifying and in the race, and it's going to be hard to beat them in these first few races."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74118

[arrrgh]

Since they decided to penalize Trulli.. now there's an interesting new tactic to consider: If you are about to lose a position, try to hold on until a yellow flag/safety card and then brake so hard that the guy behind you has to go past you.. then just coast within 25 secs for the win.

[Subject Delta]

That isn't what happened. The rules state that if you have a problem then the car behind can pass. Trulli went off onto the grass, and Lewis had to pass him, but as McLaren where unsure of their position they told lewis to slow down and let Trulli back past him. Mistake was IMO made by the stewards, Lewis was just following the orders of his team.

As the penalty is applied as a drive through it is not appealable, under the precedent set last year at the Belgian GP, so Toyota are unlikely to win anything on appeal, regardless Lewis was on the wrong end of so many bad decisions last year that I am not too bothered by this one, but if anything it seems the FIA need to look at sorting the rules out and closing in on the gray areas that make them so ambiguous

[.mcman]

Hamilton summoned by stewards over Trulli pass

01 April 2009

The FIA has announced that it is to review its decision to penalise Toyota's Jarno Trulli in last Sunday's Australian Grand Prix, by calling Lewis Hamilton to the stewards' office in Malaysia. The Italian driver lost third place and six points when handed with a 25-second time penalty for passing the McLaren under safety car conditions in the dying minutes of the race.

The incident began shortly after the deployment of the second and last safety car of the race, as Trulli ran off the track at Turn 15. He duly re-passed the McLaren, with the safety car still circulating, to retake the third position, for which the FIA imposed the penalty later in the evening. A twist in the story occurred, however, when Hamilton admitted that his team called for him to let the Toyota driver retake his podium position, with Trulli claiming that the McLaren slowed and moved off line, as if retiring from the race.

It has now emerged, however, that the World Champion explained to race stewards in Australia that he did not deliberately yield to the Toyota, despite seemingly telling SpeedTV the opposite just minutes before. "I was behind Trulli under the safety car, and clearly you're not allowed to overtake under the safety car," Hamilton explained before seeing the stewards. "But Trulli went off in the second to last corner - he went onto the grass, I guess his tyres were cold. I was forced to go by. I slowed down as much as I could but I was told to let him back past, but I don't know if that's the regulations and, if it isn't, then I should have really had third."

The governing body has also received a copy of McLaren's radio communications from the race, which was not available to race stewards on Sunday night. It is now looking more likely that - if Hamilton is judged to have changed his story - Trulli will reclaim his podium finish, and could mean the Englishman finishes further down the order taking his original fourth position.

:wacko:

[Subject Delta]

All sounds a little unlikely to me, just another excuse for the FIA to impose another needless penalty on Lewis

[brentaal]

All sounds a little unlikely to me, just another excuse for the FIA to impose another needless penalty on Lewis

Needless penalty? If anything, Trulli's penalty is unnecessary. Hamilton practically stopped on the track and Trulli couldn't anything else but pass him.

when Hamilton admitted that his team called for him to let the Toyota driver retake his podium position, with Trulli claiming that the McLaren slowed and moved off line, as if retiring from the race.

It was a mistake to punish Trulli in the first place, but seeing Hamilton give two completely different statements is kind of... weird. :/

[Subject Delta]

I haven't seen the incident so I can't comment on it further, but I find it highly unlikely that Lewis would lie considering the FIA would have clear video evidence, and transcripts of his radio traffic.

Something about this whole scenario stinks to me, and on the basis of the penalties handed out last year I have no confidence at all in the folks at the FIA

[Mike]

I haven't seen the incident so I can't comment on it further, but I find it highly unlikely that Lewis would lie considering the FIA would have clear video evidence, and transcripts of his radio traffic.

Something about this whole scenario stinks to me, and on the basis of the penalties handed out last year I have no confidence at all in the folks at the FIA

It does seem very odd, as you say, lying to the stewards won't last long as the telemetry alone would be enough to know if he slowed down a lot. There are too many unknowns in this situation though:

1. How far did Trulli go off? Did he spin or just continue in control of the car off track?

2. Did Hamilton get told to let him past? (Did McLaren ask Charlie Whiting about it?)

3. Did he directly lie to the stewards? He may well have not told them something, but who hasn't?

Hopefully we'll actually get some information like we were promised into how the stewards come to whatever conclusion they do tomorrow.

[arrrgh]

It has nothing to do with Trulli at this point, he went off track and Hamilton passed him (this is ok). Then Hamilton slowed down and let Trulli overtake him. The problem is that after the race Hamilton told the press that this is how it happened.. but apparently changed his story afterwards so that he'd get to the podium.

I haven't decided if this is some elaborate April 1st joke or just more proof that Hamilton is a total scumbag..

[Subject Delta]

It has nothing to do with Trulli at this point, he went off track and Hamilton passed him (this is ok). Then Hamilton slowed down and let Trulli overtake him. The problem is that after the race Hamilton told the press that this is how it happened.. but apparently changed his story afterwards so that he'd get to the podium.

I haven't decided if this is some elaborate April 1st joke or just more proof that Hamilton is a total scumbag..

Scumbag? I don't think so somehow (judging by that comment I am guessing you are one of the hordes of narrow minded ferrari fans). No driver in their right mind would lie about something that would be so easy to uncover, and I have a hard time believing that he did. He may have possibly been given some information by the team that he was unaware of when he was in the car, but I find it very hard to believe that he would just outright lie to the Stewards.

Edited April 2, 2009 by Frank Fontaine

[Mike]

^ Exactly, it would benefit him by a huge 1 point, hardly worth lying over something that can easily be checked. As I say, we don't know what was said. The stewards could have simply asked Hamilton if he left the track or had a technical problem, he could quite rightly reply with "No" to both.

If that is the case, he hasn't lied to the stewards even if he did let Trulli past. If it turns out he did let him past due to being unsure about the rules then the decision I would expect would be Hamilton 3rd, Trulli 4th as Trulli should be 4th and the 'overtake' was down to a misunderstanding and not a deliberate rule break.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Hamilton disqualified from Australian GP

Lewis Hamilton has been stripped of his third place finish in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix after the world champion and his team were judged to have provided 'misleading' evidence during a post-race stewards' hearing.

The British driver had finished fourth on the road, but was moved up a position when original third place finisher Jarno Trulli was handed a 25-second penalty for having overtaken Hamilton behind the safety car.

However, following the discovery of new evidence, believed to be radio transmissions from the Toyota and McLaren teams, the race stewards convened a fresh hearing in Malaysia this afternoon to discuss the matter.

It is believed the radio transmissions contradicted the original statements presented to the stewards by Hamilton and McLaren.

A statement issued by the stewards said: "The Stewards having considered the new elements presented to them from the 2009 Australian Formula One Grand Prix, consider that driver No 1 Lewis Hamilton and the competitor Vodafone McLaren Mercedes acted in a manner prejudicial to the conduct of the event by providing evidence deliberately misleading to the Stewards at the hearing on Sunday 29th March 2009, a breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code.

"Under Article 158 of the International Sporting Code the driver No 1 Lewis Hamilton and the competitor Vodafone McLaren Mercedes are excluded from the race classification for the 2009 Australian Grand Prix and the classification is amended accordingly."

Further to the Hamilton decision, the race stewards have scrapped the penalty against Trulli and he has now been awarded third place for the Australian Grand Prix.

Edited April 2, 2009 by Mephistopheles

[MightyJordan]

The right decision, if you ask me.

BTW, Mephistopheles, you've quoted the article twice. :p

[Mike]

You appear to have the main text twice Mephistopheles :p

Guess we'll have to see what Hamilton said to the stewards, apparently when Hamilton slowed, Trulli went past but slowed to let him back past but Hamilton didn't (as he got told to let Trulli retake 3rd).

Autosport are reporting that Vettel is talking to the stewards about his penalty which may or may not be changed.

So far this season we've had a new points system brought in then taken back out, 6 cars racing under appeal for the first 2 races, a penalty given then later taken away and another dished out, and finally a harsh penalty given that could well be removed. If it rains this weekend there could well be more accidents and penalties to give out and retract :p

[sundayx Veteran]

:rolleyes: :hmmm:

[+John. Subscriber¹]

I'd have preferred them to just reinstate Hamilton to 4th, rather than mess around and end up with this.

[Antaris Veteran]

This is what I hate about F1. All these changes, but the public viewers didn't actually see the incident, so we are left blind to the event, and the reasons for the decisions.

Maclaren are off to a terrible start now :(

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

The right decision, if you ask me.

BTW, Mephistopheles, you've quoted the article twice. :p

Fixed. I blame it on a severe lack of caffeine.

[CrashG]

Hamilton excluded from Australian results, Trulli regains third

McLaren?s Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified from last weekend?s Australian Grand Prix after a second stewards? investigation on Thursday decided both he and his team had provided ?misleading' evidence during a hearing held after the Melbourne race.

Hamilton crossed the finish line in Australia in fourth, but was subsequently promoted to third after Toyota?s Jarno Trulli was handed a 25-second time penalty for passing his McLaren under the safety car during the race?s closing laps.

Stewards, however, decided to reinvestigate the incident after fresh evidence came to light and convened a second meeting in Sepang. After the hearing, the stewards issued the following statement:

?The Stewards having considered the new elements presented to them from the 2009 Australian Formula One Grand Prix, consider that driver No 1 Lewis Hamilton and the competitor Vodafone McLaren Mercedes acted in a manner prejudicial to the conduct of the event by providing evidence deliberately misleading to the Stewards at the hearing on Sunday 29th March 2009, a breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code.

"Under Article 158 of the International Sporting Code, the driver No 1 Lewis Hamilton and the competitor Vodafone McLaren Mercedes are excluded from the race classification for the 2009 Australian Grand Prix and the classification is amended accordingly."

In addition to Hamilton?s disqualification, Trulli?s penalty has been withdrawn and the Italian therefore regains his third place - and six world championship points.

Source

Well that's pretty strong wording about providing deliberately misleading evidence. We're off to a very craz:wacko:n already. :wacko:

[Antaris Veteran]

Lol Crash, you should read up further ;)

[CrashG]

Lol Crash, you should read up further ;)

Didn't see it posted on the previous page. :laugh: I'm going to blame lack of sleep. :p

[Vambo]

Here we go again. Same old sh*t as last season.

I'm just glad the footy isn't run like this, otherwise they'd probably have to give Germany the 1966 World Cup. :blink: